Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award).
Gaming machines which provide secondary or bonus games are also known. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award, such as a bonus award, to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Instead, secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. When a secondary or bonus game is triggered, the gaming machine generally indicates this triggering to the player through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers, video screens, etc. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
Progressive awards associated with gaming machines are also known. In one form, a progressive award is an award amount which includes an initial amount funded by a casino and an additional amount funded through a portion of each wager made on the progressive gaming machines. Typically, the progressive award grows in value as players play the gaming machines and more portions of these players' wagers are allocated to the progressive award. When a player obtains a winning symbol or winning symbol combination associated with the progressive award, the accumulated progressive award is provided to the player. After the progressive award is provided to the player, the amount of the next progressive award is reset to the initial value and a portion of each subsequent wager on a gaming machine associated with a progressive award is allocated to the next progressive award.
A progressive award may be associated with or otherwise dedicated to a single or stand-alone gaming machine. Alternatively, a progressive award may be associated with or otherwise dedicated to multiple gaming machines which each contribute a portion of wagers placed at such gaming machine(s) to the progressive award. The multiple gaming machines may be in the same bank of gaming machines, in the same casino or gaming establishment (usually through a local area network (“LAN”)) or in two or more different casinos or gaming establishments (usually through a wide area network (“WAN”)). Such progressive awards are played for by one or more gaming machines in the same gaming establishment are sometimes called local area progressives (“LAP”) and such progressive awards played for by a plurality of gaming machines at a plurality of different gaming establishments are sometimes called wide area progressives (“WAP”). Moreover, a gaming machine or bank of gaming machines may be simultaneously associated with a plurality of progressive awards. In these multi-level progressive award (“MLP”) configurations, a plurality of progressive awards start at different progressive award or value levels, such as $10, $100, $1000 and $10,000 and each individually increment or increase until provided to a player. Upon a suitable triggering event at one of more of the gaming machines associated with the MLP, one or more of the progressive awards which form the MLP are provided to one or more of the players at such gaming machines. Similar to gaming machines which employ secondary games, gaming machines which employ progressive awards provide excitement and enjoyment for players.
A continuing need exists to provide progressive awards to players.